NEW YORK, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. state of New York became the first state in the country to enact a ban on the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes and nicotine e-liquids on Tuesday, after several have died and hundreds are sick with vaping-related illness in the state.
The state's Public Health and Health Planning Council voted to pass the ban on Tuesday, which went into effect immediately and granted sellers two weeks to remove related products from their store shelves.
Michigan was the first U.S. state to declare a similar ban earlier this month, but the law has not been implemented yet.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who proposed the emergency ban on Sunday, said that vaping flavors like bubblegum and cotton candy are intended to get young people addicted.
"New York is not waiting for the federal government to act, and by banning flavored e-cigarettes we are safeguarding the public health and helping prevent countless young people from forming costly, unhealthy and potentially deadly life-long habits," Cuomo said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the state's Department of Health, nearly 40 percent of 12th grade students and 27 percent of high school students are now using e-cigarettes. High school use is 160 percent higher than it was in 2014, which is largely caused by widely-marketed flavored vaping products.
Federal health officials are investigating the mysterious rise of cases of serious breathing illnesses related to e-cigarettes, an invention that are supposed to be a safer alternative for smokers.
